After Blake Smith's mysterious death, his coworkers at Weed Man Lawn Care in West Knox County are mourning the loss of a young man they considered to be "a member of our family."

"You could count on Blake to do the job. You could count on Blake to do the right thing when nobody was looking. You could count on him to own up to a mistake and learn from it and move forward and learn how not to make the same mistake again," said office manager Jenny Walker Schellenger.

'A desire to succeed'

Smith, a 20-year-old aspiring pastor and college junior from Trussville, Alabama, was found dead in a Louisville, Tennessee, creek on Monday, two days after he failed to return to his dorm at Crown College, a small Bible school and seminary in Powell.

Smith was reportedly last seen alive on Saturday when he went to his dorm after work.

Smith worked for Weed Man until 2 p.m. on Saturday, according to franchise owner Brian Light. Smith was never on the business's property that day, Light said. He wouldn't say where Smith had been working.

Weed Man, located on Barbrow Lane off Dutchtown Road, specializes in weed control and fertilization. It is one of more than 250 Weed Man franchises, according to the business's website.

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Scene in Blount County where sheriff's deputies and volunteers searched for Blake Smith on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams. Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

Scene in Blount County where sheriff's deputies searched for Blake Smith on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams. Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

Scene in Blount County where sheriff's deputies searched for Blake Smith on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams. Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

Scene in Blount County where sheriff's deputies searched for Blake Smith Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams. Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

Scene in Blount County where sheriff's deputies searched for Blake Smith Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams. Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

Blount County near East Old Topside Road where volunteers were waiting to search for Blake Smith on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams. Michael Patrick/News Sentinel

About a dozen people gathered at Admiral Farragut Park in Knoxville on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018 to search for missing student Blake Smith. Pictured to the far left are Smith's parents, Kim and Jim Smith. Rachel Ohm/ News Sentinel.

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In August, Schellenger hired Smith to be her administrative assistant.

"I hired him because he was an impressive young man," Schellenger said in an interview Thursday. "He was well-spoken and well-dressed, very articulate, and I could tell that he had a desire to succeed."

She watched Smith grow as they worked together in the office throughout the fall semester. He listened well and was eager to learn. He showed a natural skill for resolving customers' problems, and he exhibited good judgment in situations that weren't "always black and white," Schellenger said.

"I never once can remember anything negative coming out of Blake's mouth," she said. "Even his tone of voice was very encouraging and positive all the time. He smiled every day. He always had encouraging words for anyone who seemed anything but happy."

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Scene in Blount County where sheriff's deputies searched for Blake Smith on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Smith's car was found wrecked at a construction site in Blount County with a cinder block on the gas pedal and his phone and wallet in the car, said his aunt, Jill Brasher Williams.(Photo11: Michael Patrick/News Sentinel)

When Smith returned to Knoxville after spending his Christmas break in Alabama, he asked Schellenger if he could transfer to the department that works outside.

"He wanted to be outside, walking around (and) active with the rest of our employees that go out and door-knock," she said, emotional but articulate, her lips curling into a smile. "I missed him greatly in the office. I even had to ask him one day if he would please stay in the office and help me. And he did, with a positive attitude."

Questions remain

After Smith finished working and left his dorm on Saturday afternoon, he posted a photo on Instagram. The photo of the Tennessee River was taken next to a bench in Admiral Farragut Park in West Knoxville.

The next day, Smith's car was found crashed into the deck of an under-construction home on a private gravel road off East Old Topside Road in Louisville. The home, on Ballards Way, is about 7 miles from the park and can be reached by leaving the park, driving east on Pellissippi Parkway and taking the first exit — Topside Road.

Smith's family has said two of his friends initially found his car still running, with a cinder block on the gas pedal, damage to the doors and mirrors and belongings strewn about outside the car. His cell phone and wallet were still in the car.

This is a re-creation of a photo Blake Smith posted to Instagram the day he was reportedly last seen alive. The photo was taken near a bench in Admiral Farragut Park in West Knoxville.(Photo11: Travis Dorman / USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee)

The Blount County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating with assistance from the Knox County Sheriff's Office, has not confirmed all of those details. A BCSO spokeswoman has declined to comment beyond what has been put out in news releases.

Smith's body was found Monday in George's Creek, about a half-mile from his car, according to the BCSO.

Medical examiners on Tuesday determined Smith's "preliminary cause of death as hypothermia/drowning, and his death appears to be accidental," the BCSO said in a news release.

Authorities have not said how the death was deemed accidental. They have not said if Smith was believed to have been with anyone at the time of his death. The investigation is ongoing, and the final autopsy report is not complete, the BCSO said.

Schellenger and Light declined to discuss the case, saying they have the same information as the public and wouldn't want to "speculate or make assumptions."

"Blake was a part of our family here at Weed Man, and we’re all feeling the loss of him," Schellenger said. "And we all loved him. And he loved us back."

Reporter Travis Dorman can be reached at travis.dorman@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @travdorman.